Method of and apparatus for drying the closure flap gumming of envelopes and the like



1931- A. WINKLER ET AL 67 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING THE CLOSURE FLAP GUMMING OF ENVELOPES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 22; 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS- g A/f/ad Mhl/er M [71/ ablr s W ATTORNEY.

Dec. 1, 1931. wmK ET AL 1,834,567-

" METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING THE CLOSURE FLAP GUMMING OF ENVELOPES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 22. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H L BI awn 703s I Patented Dec. 1, 1931 unrrao STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED WINKLER AND MAX D'l' 'NNEBIER, OF NEU'WIED-ON-THE-RHINK GER-MANY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING THE GLOSURE FLAP GUMMHVG 6F ENVELOPES AND 'THE LIKE Application filed January 22, 1931, Serial No. 510,460, and in Germany April 9, 1929.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for drying the gummed closure fiaps of bags, envelopes and the like.

In machines commonly employed in the manufacture of fiat bags, envelopes and the like, and particularly those having high capacity, it is difficult to dry adhesive on the flaps in the allotted time and space without curling of the closure flaps. For example, if

1 the drying time is shortened by employing high temperatures, the quick drying of the adhesive will cause curling of the closure flaps and when the flaps are dried at low temperatures the great length of time required for drying them limits output of the machine.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for drying the closure flaps at high temperatures rapidly but without curling of It is also an object ofthe invention to insure the positive contact of the glued side and bottom flaps with the bodies of the envelopes during the drying operation.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, we have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of .which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a drying mechanism embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the curvature of an envelope during the drying operation.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the receiving portion of the drying track particularly illustrating its relation with the delivery conveyor of an envelope making machine.

Fig. {1 is a horizontal section through the drying track and a plan view of the discharge v end of the delivery conveyor for bringing the envelopes to the drier mechanism from the envelope machine. a

Referringmore in detail to the drawings:

1 designates the delivery end of a conveyor for conducting envelopes from a forming machine (not shown) to drying apparatus gen-' erally designated 2, including a housing 5, and conveying apparatus preferably including an endless belt preferably formed of a pair of roller chains 3 and 4: spaced apart a distancesubstantially equal to the width of the conveyor and adapted for travel through the housing, the housing being of suflicient length to permit the envelopes to dry during their travel therethrough. The chains 3 and a 4 operate over guiding sprockets 6 rotatably mounted on shafts 7. selected links on the chains being provided with outwardly projecting ears 8, and corresponding links on the paired chains being connected by rods 9. Mounted on each of the rods 9 is an envelope carrier generally designated 10, preferably consisting of a pair of complementary curved plates 11 and 12, one of which, here shown as the plate 11, is fixed to its rod 9 by screws or other fastening devices 13 .extending through a nave 16 on the plate to en gagement with the rod so that the plate extends at substantially a right angle to the belt. The complementary plate 12 has naves 14. and 15 pivotally mounted on the rod at the ends of the nave 16 of the fixed plate, and coiled about eachrod is a spring 17 connected at one end with a collar 18 fixed on the rod with its opposite end in engagement with the pivoted plate 12 to retain the latter in clamping relation with its complementary fixed plate.

The nave 14 of each plate 12 is provided with an arm 19 having a roller 20 adapted to engage a cam 21 on the shaft 7 adjacent the delivery end of the conveyor, and a comple mentary cam 22 on the shaft adjacent the discharge end of the dryer housing so that the carriers may be opened thereby to receive an envelope in the first instance and to discharge an envelope in the second instance.

The cams are retained in fixed'position by brackets 23 and 24'respectively,'so that high lobes thereon, engage the rollers to rock the arms in effecting o ning of the carriers as hereinafter descrlbe The forward edges of the plates are provided with slots 26 through which a conveying belt 27 onthe conveyor 1 projects, so that as the envelopes are successively moved from the end of the belt 27, they are positioned between the plates which have been opened to receive them.

The conveyor belt 27 is guided in the path of the carrier members bv aroller 28carried by arms 29 rojecting from the conveyor frame 30. upported above the belt and movable backward and forward in the directions indicated by the arrows is a roller 31 supported by a yoke-shaped arm 32 and 00- operating therewith are aligning rollers 33, 34 and 35 for advancing the envelopes into the carriers.

' The conve or chains are preferably moved intermittent y by any type of intermittent transmission mechanism, not shown, so that the carriers are stopped momentarily as they are opened to receive the envelopes from the conveyor 1, the opening being accomplished by the rollers 20 riding over the high lobes of the cam 21.

As the rollers move ofl' the high points of the cam 21, the pivoted plates closeon the envelopes received therein under influence of their springs, and curve the bodies of the envelopes and their extended closure flaps on a line of curvature corresponding to the curvature of the plates.

In operatin a machine constructed and described,- the envelopes with their end fla s B closed and their gummed closure flaps assembled as open are delivered from the forming mechanism into the dryer with the closure flaps edgewise, i. e., with the closure flaps extending laterally relative to the direction of travel, to be received in the carriers of the conveyor mechamsm. As each carrierreaches a position in front of the delivery mechanism the rocker arm of the pivoted plate member of the carrier engages the ad- Jacent cam to open the carrier against the tension of its spring so that an envelope may be deposited in the carrier. Further movement of the conveyor conducts the rocker arm out of contact with the cam, thereby effecting release of the pivoted plate so that the'latter tinguished from curvature of the flap which with She apparaftufls descri ta e a vantage o e operation to insure properl formed closure flaps, but fur- LMBO? would occur if the were driedon a surface. Travel 0 the conveyor from the receiving station through the housing 5 is at aspeedtoinsuredryingofthegumwithin the housing, and as the envelopes emerge from the housing the rocker arms of the pivoted plates move into engagement with another cam arranged to 0 permit the envelopes to discharge at a receivmg station. y 1 t is thus apparent that b our method and we not only ther insure e ective sealing of the closed. flaps to the of the envelope by compression of the envelopes between the carrier plates.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Themethod of drying the gummed clo-,' sure flaps of envelopes comprisin rearwardly curving the envelopes transverse y to the line of gumming of the flaps and assing the envelopes through a heat zone w s bent as dc SCl'lbtAiil 1 a I 2. enve 0 or e conve or including space d chains, spr r gli ts for the chains, pairs ofcurved plates on the chains, means for separating the ,pla'testo receive the envelopes, means for closing the plates to curve the .envelopes and their flaps rearwardly and transversely to the line of gumried thereby, and means for opening the plates to allow discharge of the envelopes. I

3. The method of drying the gummed'flap's of envelopes including bending the flaps to concavoconvexformation with the gummed' surfaces at the convex sides of'the flaps, conducting the envelo through a drying zone, and retaining the dif is'bent as described during travel of the envelopes throu h saidzone.

4. The method of' 'ng t e gummed i flaps of envelopes inclii bg delivering the envelopes to a drylng zone with their gummed flaglppen and extended laterally of the line of vel, bendingnthe flaps-on axes parallel with the longitu al' axes of the envelopes and the extended flaps, and retaining the flaps bent as described during their travel throu said zone.

5. apparatus of the character described, a conveyor including grippers formed to receive envelopes havmg' om freshiliy gummed fiaps'rearwardly and to d the aps transversely of their lines of gumming, and means for closing and; opening the grippers to grasp and release the envelo v 6. In apparatus of echaracter described, a conveyor includ fi pairs of curved jaws shaped to rearwa y 'curve envelopes delivered thereto, means for delivering envelopes to the paired jaws with gummed closure flaps of the envelopes 'exten ed laterally of the aws, means for and opening 130 I n the carrier. and

of said flaps while they are being carthe aws at spaced stations, and a dryer hous ing enclosing the conveyor between the'stations.

7 In apparatus of the character described, a conveyor including a pair of curved jaws shaped to rearwardly curve.envelopes dev and provided livered thereto, one movable toward and from the other, means for actuating the movable jaw ,at spaced stations to grip and release envelopes delivered between the jaws, anda dryer housing enclosing the conveyor between the stations.

8. Apparatus of the character described including a conveyor belt, curved jaws fixed to the belt at spaced intervals, movable jaws complementary to the fixed jaws, means for rocking the movable jaws to receive and discharge envelopes at spacedstations, said jaws being shaped to rearwardly curve envelopes delivered thereto, and a dryer housing enclosing the conveyor between the stations.

9. In apparatus of the character described, a conveyorincluding a belt, paired plates on the belt, one movable relative to the other and having a rocker arm, said paired plates being shaped to rearwar-dly curve envelopes delivered thereto, means for yieldingly urging the movable plate toward closed relation with the fixed plate, and cam mechanism engageable by the arm to shift the movable plate to open position relative to the fixed plate.

10. In apparatus of the character described, a conveyor including a belt, curved plates fixed to the'belt and extending outwardly therefrom, plates complementary to the fixed plates pivotally mounted oh the belt, said jaws being shaped to 'rearwardly curve envelopes delivered thereto, and means for opening and closing'the movable plates relative to their complementary members. i

11. In apparatus of the character described, a conveyor including paired belts, rods extending between the belts, curved plates fixed on the rods, complementary curved plates pivotally mounted on the rods with rocker arms, said plates being shaped to rearwar-dly curve envelopes delivered thereto, yielding means urging the pivotally mounted plates toward their complementa members, and cam mechanism engageable y the rocker arms to shift the pivotally mounted plates against the tension I of said yelding means.-

12. In apparatus of the character described, a conveyor including spaced chain belts, rods extending between correspondinglinks of the belts, curved plates fixed to said rods and extending outwardly from the belts, said lates being shaped to rearwardly curve enve ope's'delivered thereto, complementary curved plates pivotally mounted on the rods and having rocker arms extending inwardly from the belts, spaced cams engageable by, said-arms to rock the pivotally mounted plates at envelope receiving and discharging stations, and a dryer housing enclosing the conveyor between the receiving and discharging stations.

I 13. The method of drying the gummed flaps of envelopes. comprising bending the freshly gummed flaps backwardly, and passing the envelopes through a drying zone with the flaps bent as described.

tures.

ALFRED WINKLER.

MAX DUNNEBIER.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signa- 

